Pedagogical Strategies to Develop Business Graduate Competences

Pedagogical Strategies to Develop Business Graduate Competences

Silvia Olivares Olivares
Copyright: © 2015 |Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6449-4.ch004
OnDemand:
(Individual Chapters)
Available
$37.50
Current Special Offers
No Current Special Offers
TOTAL SAVINGS: $37.50

Abstract

This chapter provides examples of pedagogical strategies to business schools and business faculty to promote and develop specific competences in business education graduates. In so doing, the chapter recommends understanding the adult learning theory of Knowles, Holton, and Swanson (2011), which emphasizes the role of teachers and adult needs for learning. Teachers should facilitate the learning process and system and must engage students in a process of mutual inquiry. Even though there are different pedagogical strategies available for academic institutions to pursue in order to develop competences of different levels and types in students as described in the previous chapter (Chapter 3), it is concluded that in the learning process the learner must take center stage. Academic institutions and faculty should be creative in designing learning and teaching activities as well as diverse and implementable pedagogical strategies.
Chapter Preview
Top

Pedagogical Strategies To Develop Individual Competences

Generally speaking, in order to design pedagogical strategies to develop competencies in students of higher education programs, it is recommended to consider the adult learning theory of Knowles, Holton and Swanson (2011):

  • •

    Adults are motivated to learn as they experience needs and interests that learning will satisfy.

  • •

    Adult orientation to learning is life-centered; therefore, the appropriate units for organizing adult learning are life situations.

  • •

    Experience is the richest resource for adult learning; therefore the core methodology is the analysis of experience.

  • •

    Adults have needs to be self-directing; therefore, the role of the teacher is to engage in a process of mutual inquiry.

In order to develop individual competences, the professor should become a facilitator of the learning process and provoke thinking in the student individually. Having said it is also possible to design pedagogical strategies to develop individual competencies by allowing students to work collaborative projects inside and outside of the classroom. Collaborative projects (teamwork) help students to solve problems or make decisions considering different perspectives- individual as well as group. The best learning method is learning by doing. Though it depends on many institutional factors, however, it is doable to dedicate a full course (subject) in a particular study plan to promote and develop particular individual competences. For example, general education courses of academic programs of almost of all disciplines are designed to promote critical thinking, ethical behavior and information literacy skills in students. It is desirable to dedicate some of the disciplinary or core courses of business academic programs to promote and develop individual competences. Specific pedagogical method such as problem-based learning is considered extremely helpful in building individual competences in students.

Complete Chapter List

Search this Book:
Reset